at the 51st street exit off the 24, there is often someone, presumably homeless, in need of money.  today was no different, except there were two people there today - one older, disheveled man, and one visibly disabled woman.  as i neared them, i reached for some change nearby and gave it to the man, simply because he was closest to me.  as i drove off, i couldn’t help but notice the man turn around, and deposit the change i had just given him, right into the woman’s cup.

that man’s action speaks for itself.  may he be blessed in ways innumerable…

i am so behind in the movies i want to view, i’m making a list.  i’ve actually seen some of these, and some of them are really old (okay, most of them), but i just want to watch them again, because its been too long.  have you seen any of these?  any of them stand out?

• sin nombre
• babies
• food inc.
• autism: the musical 
• shutter island
• casablanca
• blue velvet
• fucking amal
• the wiz
• monster’s ball
• kate and leopold                 
• ponyo
• young man with a horn
• ulee’s gold
• fanny and alexander
• flower drum song

• murder in mississippi
• notorious bettie page
• the seventh seal
• wild strawberries
• persona
• spellbound
• abduction
• bridges of madison county
• the wicker man
• secret life of bees  
• tokyo story
• to kill a mockingbird
• rebecca
• some like it hot
• die hard
• made in america
• basic instinct  
• poetic justice
• boyz in the hood
• monty python everything
• bhaji on the beach
• scoop
• the prestige
• a thousand years of good prayers

my dad learns how to g-chat…

3:46 PM             me: hi dad

3:47 PM             do you know what this is?

3:50 PM             Kenneth: Hi Karli,

3:51 PM              what is what? I don’t know.  I must be missing something - I              don’t see anything.

3:52 PM             Maybe I’m not doing this chat thing right. Hmmm?

3:55 PM             me: oh i didnt know if you knew how the chat thing worked.  you     dont see anything?

3:56 PM            Kenneth: No, I don’t know.

                            me: well youre chatting

    youre doing it right haha

                            Kenneth: Oh, chat -chat-chat…. Gee this is fun.  chat-chat-chat

    me: hahaha

3:57 PM             Kenneth: I don’t have a clue. What am I supposed to be                    looking at?

                             me: at the stuff im typing to you!

                             it doesnt matter

                             nvm __

3:58 PM             Kenneth: Huh? I’m lost!  What does nvm mean?

     me: nvm = nevermind

                             sorry

                             i forgot you probably dont know what that is

                             __ is a face

3:59 PM             Kenneth: Oh my God! A face. Egad. Aaarrgghh

                             me: okok nevermind!

                             chatting is clearly stressing you out

4:00 PM             Kenneth: okok nvm ha ha I get it

                             me: HAHAHHAA

                             but see the left hand box on your gmail window?

4:01 PM             the box says chat and theres a list of contacts

                            you can click on any of their names if theyre available and chat                             with them

4:04 PM            k BYE im gonna do homework unresponsive dad

4:05 PM            Kenneth: I’m on the phone, sorry.

4:24 PM            Kenneth: Got distracted.

ever since i learned that the jewelry industry can be quite hazardous (in a multitude of ways), i’ve been trying my best to go local and green when in search of that new pretty piece.  i think these designers - which greatly range in style and price - are particularly lovely!  (and, as an added bonus, if you’re in the bay area, many of these designers have sample sales too!)

http://greenhalo.com

http://mangosteenoakland.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kimmyphi 

http://www.loribonn.com 

http://www.melissajoymanning.com

http://www.mollymdesigns.com

http://sarahswell.com

dj d sharp

dj fuze

dj mpenzi

dj shadow

dj sake 1

dj spinna

dj zita

oakland faders

pam the funkstress

“Deborah Peagler has been imprisoned since 1983. She has finally earned the right to a new hearing, but District Attorney Steve Cooley continues to oppose her freedom, even after agreeing to a deal that would have led to her release in 2005. Now she has been diagnosed with a terminal form of cancer and should be allowed to spend her final days with her family.”

PLEASE consider signing the petition!  she is in stage four of cancer, and has very little time left: http://www.freedebbie.org/send.htm

thank you!

Dear Bay Area ColorOfChange.org member,

On Monday, May 18th, there will be a preliminary hearing for Johannes Mehserle, the officer who killed Oscar Grant.

This is the moment when the judge will determine whether there’s probable cause — sufficient evidence to indicate that Mehserle committed a crime and should go to trial. It is critical that the judge and the officers there to support Mehserle see that everyday people who are concerned about police accountability and justice for Oscar Grant are there as well. Since you’re in the area, we wanted to invite you to attend.

As you can imagine, tensions can run high at court hearings like this one. We want to encourage you to attend, but also want to make sure you understand that given the level of anger around the Oscar Grant case, we can’t know exactly what it will be like at the courthouse Monday.

Can you come to the hearing? Just email us at trial@colorofchange.org if you can attend.

WHAT: Preliminary hearing for Johannes Mehserle
WHEN: Monday, May 18 at 9am (proceedings may last all day, depending on the judge’s schedule)
WHERE: Alameda County Courthouse, 1225 Fallon Street Oakland, CA 94612, Department #2

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, William, Dani and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
May 15, 2009

* the accord got totaled when someone drove into the side of it

* shyam got rear-ended on the freeway

* our rental car flipped over into a creek going 25 mph

* in the same trip, i got a speeding ticket for going 10 over the limit, coming off a freeway

* the maxima sputtered and died at a stop sign

*  shyam and another car had a small collision at a blind intersection

* shyam’s car was hit, and they ran!

impressive, eh?

i need this year to improve, and its only 13 days into it!

i started off the year sick, and the oscar grant fiasco dimmed the mood substantially.  one of my best friends got demoted, another best friend got dumped.  covenant house is a mess right now, and the last day of our community service center is friday; sadly, brian will be moving on after eighteen years of service.  additionally, my mom has me very  frustrated, and shyam got in an accident this morning.

can i please have something good happen?  soon?